Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
steel suspension bridge and interpretive trails offer glorious vistas and the opportunity for
adventurous travelers to continue on exploring one of the many other hiking trails around
town.
This combination of healing waters, endless recreational opportunities, friendly locals,
and a deep sense of history has made Ouray a favorite stopping point for adventure- and
relaxation-seeking visitors for over 50 years.
Did you know…
Ouray's Hot Springs Pool holds over a million gallons of natural hot springs
water-with no sulfur smell. Winter visitors especially appreciate its 96-106°F
temperatures.
6.
Ridgway
From Ouray, the Skyway leaves the San Juan Mountains behind and coils into a broad val-
leywhereelk,bighornsheep,anddeergrazeinverdantmeadows.TurningwestonRte.62,
the drive eases into Ridgway, which may look vaguely familiar, for this former Wild West
town was used to film scenes in a number of Hollywood westerns, including
True Grit
and
How the West Was Won.
If time permits, follow Rte. 550 north to Montrose and turn east on Rte. 50 to the road
(Rte. 347) that leads to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Here a men-
acingly deep gorge was carved over 2 million years by the erosive power of the Gunnison
River. Its charcoal-gray walls are shrouded in shadow for most of the day, hence the name
Black Canyon. One of its prominent features, the 2,200-foot behemoth called the Painted
Wall, is the highest cliff face in Colorado.
7.
Dallas Divide
From Ridgway, Rte. 62 rolls west past broad ranchlands dotted with cattle, climbs to scrub
oaks and aspen, and finally enters the spruce-covered hills of the Dallas Divide. It over-
looks the Mt. Sneffels Wilderness Area—an array of jagged, snowcapped peaks whose
centerpiece is 14,158-foot Mt. Sneffels (named for a mountain in Jules Verne's
Journey
to the Center of the Earth).
From the Dallas Divide, the highway descends to cottonwood
countryandintothetinytownofPlacerville,whereitturnssouthonRte.145.Afterseveral
miles the route veers east to Telluride.
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